Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1887-02-11
c4sAR4LrAss LETTER.

49,
med commonwealth like ours, and
.m tempted to express my opinion IN
regard to some of the proposed leSlsla
lion of our body of law makers now
assembled at the state capitol. Some
men seem to think that no special care
is necessary in tinkering with legisla-
tion upon school matters, and therefore,
after giving due and careful considera-
tion to bills introduced for the improve
ment of the breed of horses, cattle and
hogs, they listen carelessly to the
schemes Of the school crank, and vote,
needless of results. Our young
state has been blessed with an overdose
of this sort of legislation. We are
therefore, far behind the majority of
states, in the effectiveness OF our pub
lie school system. / am led to this
strain of melancholy reflection, by read
ing Of the bill now before the legisla-
ture, to disfranchise tax-paying women,
az annual school meetings, and to let
down the bars 10 that thriftless, indif-
ferent class of people whose only claim
to the voting privilege is sex to which
they are no credit. The man who, dur
ing the past few years has observed the
conduct of the district school, has
noted the fact that the greatest inter
est in school affairs has been taken by
the intelligent property-holding women
of our state. [ venture the assertion,
fGrmly believing in its truth) that our
schools owe large portion of the sue
cess already attained to the active in-
terest and support of the intelligent
mothers Of the boys and girls. The
bill now before the legislature is sub
iect tothis grave objection: in almost
every district, there is at least one Of
those pestiferous animals, known as
schemers. He always has some griev-
snce, either against the teacher, or the
directors. Either his hopeful son has
been shamefully and unjustly q pun
ished ''for jest nothin' at all" or else
the directors have in his ponderous
opinion, been unwise in the selection
of teachers, and prodigal in the expen-
diture of public funds. These are the
feeble threads upon which he hangs
his murmuring against the idea oi
progressive school work. He is rarely
sincere, but is active and blatant, by
reason of chronic, yea, constitutions
mania, for plotting and breeding strife
in a community. He is dangerous
simply in proportion to the number o
ignorant, thriftless, uninterested anc
revolutionary individuals that he car
gather about him, to aid him in his as
sault upon the well-being of his wise
neighbors. Remove the property quail
ificatian, under such conditions, ant
consider the result: / could name ;
considerable number of school districts
even in Douglas county that woul'
take an unhappy retrograde movemen
as an immediate result. live in hop
that majority of our representative
viii see the evils Of such action, ant
consign the bill to happy oblivion.
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
While in the humor, l want to grow
at another bill, which as learn from
the newspapers, is now pending before
the legislature. ] refer to the ont
which provides for dividing the state
into three Normal school districts, and
endowing in each school Of that sort
at state expenses. IF this were ali, il
would be bad enough, but it goes far.
ther, aud proposes TO repeal the act
creating the state Normal school at
Drain, in Douglas county. Now,
while l am not at war with other por-
tions of our fair state, it does strike me,
as a species of outrage, that the selfish
aims of local ambition should develop
such petty meanness. The school at
Drain was equipped by its patrons, for
doing good honest work, in preparing
young men and women for honest work
in the school rooms of southern Oregon.
It asked the state for no financial aid
1t has never knocked at the door Of
the states treasury in the garb of a
mendicant, asking aims. Yet, as soon
as the state issued its commission, 1t
sprang, full armed, into the field, and
at the close of the first year turned
outa graduate, whose subsequent sue.
cess. generous wages, and constant EN-
ployment, are a sufficient guaranty Of
the character of the work done. The
Ashland school, with years of opportu
nifty, and not single graduate, wants
four thousand dollars, while Drain
with a splendid record, asks-to bt
let alone. If our solons would legis
late a larger portion of the genera
taxes into the school funds, and exer
themselves less in behalf Of local appro
priations, for unnecessary causes, the
would earn a lasting and we'll deserye'
gratitude from patient people.
Aud now, Bro Bell, having had m,
growl, my blood subsidies, the chill
night air, waited over the white field
of snow that surround me, reminds MI